Influence[edit]

Critical reception[edit]
Overall[edit]
The X-Files received positive reviews from television critics, with many calling it one of the best
series that aired on American television in the 1990s. Ian Burrell from the British newspaper The
Independent called the show "one of the greatest cult shows in modern television".[228] Richard
Corliss from Time magazine called the show the "cultural touchstone of" the 1990s.[229] Hal
Boedeker from the Orlando Sentinel said in 1996 that the series had grown from a cult favorite to
a television "classic".[230] The Evening Herald said the show had "overwhelming influence" on
television, in front of such shows as The Simpsons.[231] In 2012, Entertainment Weekly listed the
show at #4 in the "25 Best Cult TV Shows from the Past 25 Years", describing it as "a paean to
oddballs, sci-fi fans, conspiracy theorists and Area 51 pilgrims everywhere. Ratings improved
every year for the first five seasons, while Mulder and Scully's believer-versus-skeptic dynamic
created a TV template that's still in heavy use today."[232]
In 2004 and 2007, The X-Files ranked #2 on TV Guide's "Top Cult Shows Ever".[233] In 2002, the
show ranked as the 37th best television show of all time.[234] In 1997, the episodes "Clyde
Bruckman's Final Repose" and "Small Potatoes" respectively ranked #10 and #72 on "TV
Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time".[235] In 2013, TV Guide included it in its list of the "60
Greatest Dramas of All Time"[236] and ranked it as the #4 sci-fi show[237] and the #25 best series of
all time.[238] In 2007, Time included it on a list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time".[239] In
2008, Entertainment Weekly named it the fourth-best piece of science fiction media,[240] the fourth
best TV show in the last 25 years[241] and in 2009, named it the fourth-best piece of science
fiction, in their list of the "20 Greatest Sci-fi TV Shows" in history.[242] Empire magazine
ranked The X-Files ninth best TV show in history, further claiming that the best episode was the
third season entry "Jose Chung's From Outer Space".[243] In 2015, on The Hollywood Reporter's
entertainment-industry ranked TV list "Hollywood's 100 Favorite TV Shows", The X-
Files appeared at #3.[244] According to The Guardian, MediaDNA research discovered that The X-
Files was on top of the list of the most innovative TV brands.[245] In 2009, it was announced that
the show's catchphrase "The Truth Is Out There" was among Britain's top 60 best-known slogans
and quotes.[246]
The X-Files has been criticized for being unscientific and
privileging paranormal and supernatural ideas (e.g. the hypotheses made by Mulder). For
instance, in 1998, Richard Dawkins wrote that "The X-Files systematically purveys an anti-
rational view of the world which, by virtue of its recurrent persistence, is insidious."[247]
First seven seasons[edit]
The pilot episode was generally well received by fans and critics. Variety criticized the episode
for "using reworked concepts", but praised the production and noted its potential. Of the
acting, Variety said "Duchovny's delineation of a serious scientist with a sense of humor should
win him partisans and Anderson's wavering doubter connects well. They're a solid
team..." Variety praised the writing and direction: "Mandel's cool direction of Carter's ingenious
script and the artful presentation itself give TV sci-fi a boost." The magazine concluded, "Carter's
dialogue is fresh without being self-conscious and the characters are involving. Series kicks off
with drive and imagination, both innovative in recent TV."[248] Entertainment Weekly said that
Scully "was set up as a scoffing skeptic" in the pilot but progressed toward belief throughout the
season.[249] After the airing of four episodes, the magazine called The X-Files "the most paranoid,
subversive show on TV", noting the "marvelous tension between Anderson—who is dubious
about these events—and Duchovny, who has the haunted, imploring look of a true believer".
[250]
 Virgin Media said the most memorable "Monster-of-the-Week" was Eugene Tooms from
"Squeeze" and "Tooms".[251]
The following four seasons received similar praise. During the show's second
season, Entertainment Weekly named The X-Files the "Program of the Year" for 1994, stating
"no other show on television gives off the vibe that The X-Files does".[252] The DVD Journal gave
the second season four out of four stars, calling it a "memorable season". The review highlighted
"The Host", "Duane Barry" and "Ascension", the cliffhanger finale "Anasazi", the "unforgettable"
"Humbug" and meeting Mulder and Scully's families in "Colony" and "One Breath".[253] IGN gave
the season a rating of 9 out of 10, with the reviewer noting it was an improvement upon the first
as it had "started to explore a little" and the "evolution of the characters makes the product shine
even though the plotlines have begun to seem familiar".[254] Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V.
Club argued that the third season of The X-Files was the show's "best season and maybe one of
the greatest TV seasons of all time", noting it was consistent and "[swung] from strength to
strength" between mythology and stand-alone episodes.[255] Michael Sauter of Entertainment
Weekly gave the fifth season an "A–", writing that it "proves the show was—even then—still at its
creative peak (if only for another year or so) and full of surprises".[256] He praised the new
additions to the series' mythology and concluded that "many stand-alone episodes now look like
classics".[256] Francis Dass, writing for the New Straits Times, noted that the season was "very
interesting" and possessed "some [...] truly inspiring and hilarious" episodes.[257]
After the 1998 film, the show began to receive increasingly critical reviews. Some longtime fans
became alienated during the show's sixth season, due to the different tone taken by most stand-
alone episodes after the move to Los Angeles.[258] Rather than adhering to the "Monsters-of-the-
Week" style, they were often romantic or humorous or both, such as "Arcadia" or "Terms of
Endearment". Some fans felt there was no coherent plan to the main storyline and that Carter
was "making it all up as he goes along".[258] As for the seventh season, The A.V. Club noted that
while most of the first eight seasons of The X-Files was "good-to-great", the seventh season of
the show was "flagging" and possessed "significant problems".[259] Despite this, seasons six and
seven included several episodes that were lauded by critics, including the sixth season entries
"Triangle" and "The Unnatural",[260][261] as well as the seventh season installment "X-Cops".[262]